I have always loved burgers, from a child who was excited to visit the local diner, to an adult searching for the most flavorful gourmet burger. As I mature and get into my midlife, I am more aware of nutrition, and sustenance, beef cravings are becoming less and wanting to find an alternative has been quite a journey. Here is where the veggie burger comes in. I would have to say the closest to my dream burger came when I tasted Relish’s burger a local burger joint hosting wonderful gourmet burgers and amazing sides. Their veggie burger was so tenderly crisp on the outside and when you bit into it there was this melt in your mouth, juicy interior that had so much flavor. We have tried to reproduce that burger many times using chick peas, nuts, mushrooms, and lentils. They were okay, but that crispy and melt in your mouth veggie burger from Relish still lingered in my mind……………..

Nicoletta and I were invited to a cookbook launch at a really nostalgic and historical bookstore known as Audrey’s here in Edmonton. I don’t know about you but the smell of all those books just awakens my creativity. I know people say you can get online and order any book you want, but it is not the same and that goes for cookbooks also. I love the aroma of books. Turning those pages. The sound of a page turning. The creaking of a book binding, it’s the full meal deal as far as bookworms are concerned. Well, there we were enjoying a nice prosecco and a variety of pastry from Duchess, an amazing french bakery, and cafe, along with the great company of fellow bloggers. The stars of the book launch Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller of the blog Feast: An Edible Road Trip. These gals surpassed fear and took a deep dive in faith and courage to travel across Canada East to West, North to South. A four-month voyage forging the path increasing awareness of The Canadian Food Experience project. With their small car packed and bikes on hand, their goal to trek the great Canadian divide, from provincial boundary to boundary, and coast to coast, to uncover and track Canadian Food. The fruits of their labor a wonderful cookbook “FEAST”, with loads of experiential stories and wonderful recipes showcasing people, culture, and foods from our wonderful land Canada. It was lovely meeting these two brave culinary warriors and with their book in hand and excitement to create, Nicoletta and I wasted no time to dive right in. The first was the Barley Pancakes with blueberry syrup, made the next morning after the book signing. Then flipping through the book and wanting to recreate many of the wonderful dishes, we happened upon this recipe for a delicious looking veggie burger we titled Wild Rice, Lentil, Mushroom Veggie Burger.

Looking at all the ingredients we have most of them. The wild rice, these wonderful organic black lentils from B.C., and onions, which are always in supply in our kitchen. A quick jaunt to the grocery store gives us the rest of the things we need and we are set!

We added a little of our flare to the mix using some garlic shoots, and shallots, along with a few bread crumbs and Panko crumbs for some added texture. And I know these lentils are going to do the trick to give us that body we need in these beauties.

With wild rice and lentils cooked, we are ready to put this veggie burger together. To get a more formable texture, the lentils, sauteed onions and mushrooms go into the food processor for a quick pulse along with an egg until it becomes grainy. It is then mixed with the rice and some raw grated zucchini. The feel in my hands is very much like a regular burger. and with a bit of hand work the burgers are formed. I have left out a few things but you can find the totality of this dish in our recipe and procedure located below. I really want to get to the nitty-gritty of these Wild Rice, Lentil, Mushroom Veggie Burgers.

One thing that I think I should mention is that after you have formed the burgers, put them in the freezer for half of an hour. This will set them so nicely and make it easier to keep them together while cooking.

The look and smell of these veggie burgers are amazing. The shallots and onions, the garlic shoots so fragrant with that ever so familiar scent that makes anyone ready to eat. The lentils and rice adding a beautiful texture along with those sauteed mushrooms. The wheat flour, breadcrumb and panko giving the surface of this burger crispness and amazing color. I chose to fry these up in a pan, but grilled on a nice hot barbecue would ensure you some char marks and a bit of smokiness that would just take these to a different level.

I wanted a sesame seed bun but then was pulled in by these multi-grain crusty buns, and I thought oh this would work really well, toasted with a pat of butter melted. For garnish a nice Asian slaw dressed with a peanut sesame dressing, some wonderful organic greens, and tomatoes. To add just another level of richness some fresh organic creamy avocado. The pickle a homemade delicious recipe made by my parents, who I have to say are major canning people. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the dynamic duo, ketchup, and mustard!

I can’t wait anymore, I am drooling and this smells so good. The first bite has me in heaven the star that incredible veggie pattie comes through with its nutty, starchy, earthy flavors spiked by the onions, shallots and garlic shoots, not to mention that tahini and smoked paprika. The amazing part is the crispness of the burger all caramelized and seared holding in the moisture for the center that just melts in your mouth opening the doorway for your taste buds to dance upon the plethora of flavors and textures. The condiments offering the acidity needed along with that slaw crispy, crunchy with the dressing complimenting the burger at no end. The freshness of the greens along with the plump juiciness of the tomatoes keeping our mouth fresh and alive, and just when you think you had enough, in comes the avocado like a slow sultry jazz tune tantalizing and seductive. The amazing thing is that the Wild Rice, Lentil, Mushroom Veggie burger, comes through at every bite never lost in any way and the condiments just house the flavor in such an elegant and wholesome way. I love this burger and I think we have found our winner! Next time you are craving a burger and don’t want to succumb to the urge of a drive-through, give these a try, I am sure you will be as delighted as us, and may even win the hearts of some of those meat eaters.

I just wanted to say thank you to Lindsay and Dana for their passion, and drive to completion, and your wonderful cookbook that Nicoletta and I feel so inspired by, and absolutely love. Also, a shout out to Valerie Lugonja, thank you for making us a part of this fabulous community, and witnesses to your passion and eloquence for Canadian food, and lastly, to the lovely people at Audrey’s Books keeping the spirit of literature, creativity, and history alive.

Description

The veggie burgers can be fried or baked or even grilled, whichever you prefer. Also garnishing is really up to you. What we have done is merely a suggestion.
We also freezed a bunch for use in the next few weeks, making sure to wrap and seal them well to prevent freezer burn.

Ingredients

1/2 cup organic wild rice

1 1/2 cup water

2/3 cup organic black lentils

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp mixed seeds

1 egg

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup white onion diced

3 garlic shoots chopped

1 shallot minced

1/2 cup crimini mushrooms

1 clove garlic minced

2-3 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

2 tsp fresh parsley chopped

2 tsp tahini

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup grated zucchini

3-4 tbsp oat flour

2 tbsp seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp Panko crumbs

Garnish:

1/2 cup gouda sliced (optional)

1 cup fresh organic salad greens

1 organic ripe tomato sliced

1 organic ripe avocado slided

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mustard

Slaw:

1/2 cup green cabbage slivered

1/2 cup red caabbage slivered

1/4 cup of purple onion slivered

Dressing for the slaw:

2 tbsp mayo

1 tbsp peanut sauce

11/2 tsp sriracha saauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp balsamic cream

1/2 tsp canola oil

Instructions

Rice:

Take rice and place in a fine mesh colander and rinse thoroughly till water drains clear.

In a medium sauce pan place rice and water and bring to a boil, then turn to a low simmer cover and cook for 40 minutes.

Take off heat, fork rice to loosen it a bit and set aside.

Lentils:

Take lentils and place in a fine mesh colander and rinse thoroughly till water comes clean.

Place lentils, bay leaf and water into a medium sauce pan and cook for 40 minutes or until soft and tender.

Saute mixture:

In a medium saute pan add olive oil, and bring to a medium to high heat. Toss in onions/shallots and cook till they soften a bit, then toss in the mushrooms.

You may need to add a bit more oil as the mushrooms suck up quite a bit of moisture before the release.

Towards the end add garlic, garlic shoots, and season with salt and pepper.

12 Comments

I love love a good veggie burger, and this one looks so good I can practically smell it (your words have transported me as well!) . It also gives me confidence when a veggie burger recipe list is long, cause it promises complexity.

Lol, Elizabeth love that long recipe equals complexity. My recipes always seem to have quite a list, maybe I am just a complex man living in a Mad world, lol. One thing I know for sure is that the veggie burgers were amazing and we have a few in the freezer that will delight our weekly meal plan.
Thanks Elizabeth for the comment and have a most wonderful week.
Loreto

I feel the same about books, I have a kindle but I use it mostly for checking my emails or when we are on holiday and have finished the 2 or 3 books I had taken anyway. I just love to hold a book in my hands, the smell of it and it doesn’t matter if it smells new or old like a library book… And what a gorgeous looking burger. I actually always find burgers dissapointing except when they are vegetarian burgers, I find them much better than the meaty ones. I would love to give these a try, I have never made them using wild rice.

Hi Adina, love you description of books, it is so real and enjoyable. I remember being a kid and loving the trips to the library to get a few books for the week and as age increased some records made their way to my bag. You are going to love these veggie burgers.
Happy burger time!
Loreto

Hi Karen, the seed mix has poppy, flax, sunflower, sesame, and pumkin seeds. We bought it in Italy in an organic market, but you can make your own, buying the different kinds at your local market and mixing them together and storing in a jar. We had tried many different recipes, but this one by far is the best we have had thus far. Give it a try, would love to hear your feed back. Thank you for taking time to comment.
Cheers!
Loreto

Wow, I am amazed that a juicy looking burger like this could result from wild rice and lentils! I adore lentils. The entire ingredient ensemble is impressive. The burger looks like it has a great texture to it too..

Hi Melena, I think you would love the texture of this veggie burger. The outside crispy and golden caramelization. Then the inside moist, flavorful, and just melts on your tongue with that starchy, nutty earthy flavor.The combinations of condiments elevates the interesting, and flavor profile to heavenly hieghts. If you love lentils this is the burger for you.
Thank you for commenting, and have a wonderful night.
Loreto

I love the look and sound of this burger and can only imagine the willpower it took to resist diving in while taking photos! I too prefer walking and perusing through a book store rather then the online route…it’s a much more pleasurable experience 😊

Hi Marisa, thank you for commenting and reading the post. Ther are somethings that are simple joyful and books stores is one of them. We hope modernization doesn’t kill that. We will have to start the old school revolution, lol.This burger was so delicious, our quest for a great veggie burger ends here! thanks to Lindsay and Dana and their cookbook FEAST!
Have a great week.
Cheers Loreto

We really enjoyed these! Not difficult if you have the lentils and rice cooked ahead. Used chopped pecans instead of seeds which added a great flavor as well. I did not make the slaw or dressing. My vegetarian kids said they were better than most veggie burgers I have made!

Hi Angela, thank you so much for letting us know how you made out with this veggie burger. Your kids have great pallets which is always a blessing and to have vegetarian kids also is quite a big deal. Nicoletta and I were so pleased to hear that these were so successful for you. As food bloggers one of our missions is to get people cooking and to get rid of that fear thing. When we hear from our followers that they are successful in using our recipes it tells us we are on the right track and continue to keep going in that direction. I have to say that we try all of our recipes and if we don’t feel it is good we don’t use it. The use of pecans is brilliant a great way to boost the flavor. I just love how they crisp up on the outside and then you bite in and there is that soft moist creamy inside.
Thanks again we so appreciate your time!
Have a wonderful day!
Loreto

About us

Hi! We’re Loreto and Nicoletta, welcome to the kitchen of SugarLoveSpices. With both of us being Italian, making you feel at home and welcome is of the utmost importance. We’d love to cook for you, seeing you leave with a smile on your face and the feeling you truly enjoyed your meal. But what we love most is to ignite in you the passion for food and to instill the confidence to make it yourself. Through heartfelt memories and stories, between tradition and creativity, our passion for organic, locally produced foods will navigate you to find your inner foodie. Come along, let’s get cooking!